This invention relates generally to fuzes for bomblets and, more particularly, to a fuze which is capable of being safely armed and yet provides for a highly reliable detonation of the bomblet.
A relatively new class of munition, the bomblet has been brought into large scale military use during the past 25 years. In general such devices are used in great numbers and require specialized types of fuzes, usually of miniature size and producible at low cost. A fuze is the mechanism for igniting and detonating the bursting charge of any munition, such as the bomblet, and performs this function either upon impact or at a certain time during flight. The purpose of safing and arming fuzes is to provide a safety to personnel during the handling and storage of fuzes while permitting placement of the munition containing the fuze in the desired position over the target area before the munition is armed. The munition is then exploded on the target by the initiation from the fuze upon impact thereof. Various ways have heretofore been employed for the prevention of pre-target detonation of these munitions during tactical deployment.
Certain safety and reliability requirements have been found to be difficult to implement in the small fuzes utilized in bomblets. These requirements include the incorporation therein of mechanisms designed to sense and respond to the last two conditions or circumstances associated with the launching and flight environment in such a manner that the munition offers a high degree of safety for transportation and handling, firing etc. prior to the sensing of these factors, but is enabled to operate properly after sensing a proper sequence and magnitude of events.
Another requirement which has been found to be difficult to implement is the restriction on the use of stored energy, that is compressed springs, in the safety and arming mechanisms. It is believed that no energy source of any kind should be present in the fuze which would tend to cause an uninitiated arming function to occur.
Existing fuzes of the type referred to hereinabove are typically caused to arm or render themselves ready to function explosively upon impact with the ground or other surface by means of sensing and utilizing the rotation imparted to the fuzed munition after release or launching from the vehicle in which it has been carried. The requirement to utilize munition rotation as a source of arming forces, imposes certain restrictions on the length of travel through the air and the velocity at which this occurs. Heretofore, the above problems have not been successfully overcome.